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ROBOT DISTRIBUTION

Updated

USE CASE · CONSTRUCTION

Construction layout robot: CAD and BIM plans printed straight onto the floor

The robot transfers axes, partitions, openings and set-out points from the digital plan to the ground. The surveyor and site manager keep control of the references and the sign-off.

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The CivDot+ robot spray-marks set-out points on a future solar farm while a surveyor follows it with a tablet.

IN BRIEF

Updated

  1. A layout robot marks the lines, points and text of a CAD or BIM plan on the slab or the ground, guided by a total station or by RTK GNSS.

  2. HP SitePrint prints at 900 m/h with a ±3 mm average tolerance and runs an 8-hour shift on two batteries, according to its manufacturer.

  3. Robot Distribution delivers it, sets it up with your survey instruments, trains your teams and maintains it, to buy, rent or as RaaS.

WHY

Robotic layout and set-out on construction sites

On a building site, partitions, ducts and openings are still marked out with chalk line and tape, kneeling on the slab. On a solar farm or civil works platform, set-out moves point by point, stake by stake.

The robot reads the digital plan and transfers it to the ground, guided by a total station indoors or by RTK GNSS outdoors. The surveyor keeps the reference set-up, the checks and the sign-off of the layout.

HOW IT RUNS

How layout runs with the robot.

  1. Preparing the plan

    The layers to mark are exported from the CAD or BIM software: axes, partitions, openings, points or text. The CivDot+ accepts CSV or DXF files, according to its manufacturer.

  2. Setting up on site

    The robot is tied to the site references: a Leica, Topcon or Trimble total station for HP SitePrint, a GNSS base or NTRIP network for the Civ Robotics robots, according to their manufacturers.

  3. Autonomous marking

    The robot drives across the area and prints lines and points. The Partner Robotics L3000 states at least 200 m²/h in housing and 300 m²/h in commercial buildings, according to its manufacturer.

  4. Checking and touch-up

    The surveyor or site manager checks control points and signs off the layout; areas the robot cannot reach are completed by hand.

The CivDot Mini robot paints layout lines on the levelled platform of a building site.
The robot marks the plan's lines directly on the ground.
A surveyor checks a point marked by the CivDot+ robot next to its GNSS base on a road works site.
The surveyor checks control points before sign-off.

THE ROBOTS

Layout and set-out robots in our catalogue.

  • HP

    HP SitePrint

    Construction robots

    Weight
    8.9 kg
    Runtime
    8 h
    Key feature
    ±3 mm accuracy
    On order
    Price on request

  • Partner Robotics

    Partner Robotics L3000

    Construction robots

    Cleaning efficiency
    200–300 sqm/h
    Key feature
    ±3 mm accuracy
    Weight
    21 kg
    On order
    Price on request
  • CivDot+

    CivDot+

    Construction robots

    Key feature
    8 mm accuracy
    Key feature
    1,200 points/day
    Key feature
    4WD rover
    On order
    Price on request
  • CivDot Mini

    CivDot Mini

    Construction robots

    Weight
    23 kg
    Key feature
    27 km of lines per day
    Key feature
    Sub-inch accuracy
    On order
    From €42,290 ex VATor €1,439/month in RaaS

  • TinySurveyor

    Construction robots

    Runtime
    8 h
    Weight
    18 kg
    Maximum speed
    4 km/h
    On order
    From €36,990 ex VATor €1,259/month in RaaS
The whole solution · Construction

BEFORE INSTALLING

What the site survey checks before commissioning.

  1. Slab and obstacles

    Slab cleanliness, slopes and obstacles are noted: HP SitePrint works on slopes up to 2.5° and avoids obstacles with three LiDARs and four cliff sensors, according to its manufacturer.

  2. References and instruments

    Site reference points and compatibility with your total stations or GNSS receivers are checked; TinySurveyor works with the user's own GNSS receiver or total station, according to its manufacturer.

  3. Signal and line of sight

    Outdoors, GNSS reception and RTK corrections are checked; indoors, the line of sight between the total station and the robot.

  4. Plans and marking

    CAD or BIM files, layers to mark and the type of ink or paint are agreed with the design office and the trades.

RULES AND STANDARDS

Rules that frame robotic layout and set-out on French sites

A layout robot is an autonomous machine that produces survey marks on the ground: machinery law, the surveying profession and networks rules all apply.

  1. Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230

    It applies from 20 January 2027; robots placed on the market before then follow Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. Its Annex III adds definitions of autonomous mobile machinery and of the supervisor, a supervisory function, and a control system that performs safety functions by itself, taking into account the area where the machine moves and works. Ask which text the declaration of conformity cites.

  2. Boundaries stay with a géomètre-expert

    The French law of 7 May 1946 gives géomètres-experts a monopoly on work that fixes land boundaries, as the government confirmed to the Senate in December 2024. Other topographic work, including set-out, is open to competition. A robot transfers points from a plan; boundary markers and property limits still require a géomètre-expert.

  3. Coordinates in the national reference system

    Article 89 of the law of 4 February 1995 requires survey data produced by the State, local authorities and public-service operators to be linked to the national reference system; the decree of 26 December 2000, amended in 2006, sets RGF93 with the Lambert-93 projection for mainland France. On public projects, check that the robot's plan files and RTK corrections use it.

  4. Marking buried networks before works

    Under article R554-27 of the French Environment Code, the project owner marks or stakes buried networks in service within, or less than 2 m from, the works area, under its responsibility and at its cost, following the order of 15 February 2012. The marking is kept for the whole site. If the robot paints network marks, they belong to this procedure.

Official sources

  1. Machinery – Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 · European Commission · accessed
  2. Main changes between Annex I of the Machinery Directive and Annex III of the Machinery Regulation · CEN · accessed
  3. Question écrite n° 00427 – monopole des géomètres-experts (réponse du 5 décembre 2024) · Sénat · accessed
  4. Rapport du groupe de travail sur la révision du décret de 2006 (système national de référence de coordonnées) · CNIG · accessed
  5. Article R554-27 du Code de l'environnement – DT et DICT (marquage-piquetage) · OPPBTP · accessed

General information, not legal advice.

FAQ

Contractors' questions about robotic layout.

What accuracy can a layout robot achieve?

According to the manufacturer: ±3 mm on average for HP SitePrint (±2 mm in high-accuracy mode), 2 mm on axis lines and ±3 mm on edge lines for the Partner Robotics L3000, 8 mm per point for the CivDot+ outdoors.

Do we need a total station?

Indoors, yes: HP SitePrint positions itself with a Leica, Topcon or Trimble robotic total station, according to its manufacturer. Outdoors, the Civ Robotics robots position themselves by RTK GNSS, with a base or NTRIP network.

What is the daily output?

According to the manufacturer: up to 1,200 points per day per operator for the CivDot+, up to 27 km of lines per day for the CivDot Mini, 900 m/h of printing for HP SitePrint.

How long does it run on a site day?

HP SitePrint runs 8 hours on two exchangeable batteries, TinySurveyor up to 8 hours per charge and the Partner Robotics L3000 more than 5 hours, recharged in 2 hours, according to their manufacturers.

USE CASES

Send us a plan and the type of site. We choose the robot and prepare the set-up.

Robots, acquisition mode and delivery terms, in one written proposal.

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